JANUARY 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 25
women are now in their golden
years. They were so formidable
and so influential in World War
II. I will never forget meeting with
a group of them and seeing the
twinkle in their eyes talking about
how they helped win the war and
what they gave up for our country.
I am so grateful to have been given
that opportunity to meet them.
LIP: How old are your children?
LS: My son turns 16 in January,
and my daughter is 13. I am in the
thick of it.
LIP: As a mother of two teenagers,
how do you do it all? What is the
secret?
LS: The same way you do it and
the same way every parent does
it. There is no real secret to it. You
just have to prioritize. Personally,
my kids come first. When they are
all set, then I go from there. I have
my day job at GMA. Then I take
off that hat, and I put on the hat
of producer and do my meetings
in the afternoon until the kids get
home and then it’s back to wearing
the mom hat and worrying about
homework and pickup from sports
and figuring out what the heck I
am going to feed them for dinner.
I especially think given the current
climate, no one ever asks how
men do it all. We just do it. It’s our
job. We are so lucky to have our
beautiful children, who are happy
and healthy hopefully, and I think
when you put them first everything
kind of falls into place around it.
Then I just piecemeal whatever free
time I have left over. Unfortunately,
manicures get the last place. That
is my once every other week total
treat on a Saturday if I can fit it in,
but it is absolutely not a priority.
LIP: What is next for you?
LS: I think more of the same and
continuing to cultivate ideas that
are inspired by being curious,
observant and creative. I come up
with a million ideas all the time
whether it is for a segment for GMA
or my production company for a
new show. I love my life at Good
Morning America. I love running
a production company and
continuing to create. I launched
a production company two years
ago called DuffKat Media, named
after my kids, Duff and Kate. We
just sold two pilots to the Scripps
Network, one to the Travel Channel
and one to HGTV. I have other
shows in development right now
at the other networks, so that is
exciting for me. I am like a tale of
two cities. I look fancy on GMA
and throw on my jeans and asskicking
boots and hit the flea.
LIP: Tell me more about your career.
LS: I am more well-known now
honestly for Flea Market Flip.
It’s this unbelievable thing that
happened, this little idea that I had
that thankfully HGTV and Great
American Country bought into
and fell in love with, and now 11
seasons later we are the little engine
that could. I get stopped more
about that show than GMA. It has
such a cool following and so many
young kids are into upcycling, and
it all started on Long Island.
LP: How did your passion for
shopping inspire your projects?
LS: I grew up with a mom who had
great taste, but not a big budget.
Every Saturday morning we would
read the Garden City newspaper
and circle the tag sales. Because I
was the youngest I was stuck with
her and we would go around to
the tag sales and then go to the
flea market where Roosevelt Field
is now or where the race track was
back in the ’80s. My passion for the
books and for Flea Market Flip is
all because of my upbringing on
Long Island, and my incredible
parents who worked really hard
to make ends meet and showed us
that you don’t need a lot of money
to have great style.
LIP: What is one of your favorite finds?
LS: A painting I found at an estate
sale. It is not very valuable per se,
but it’s been in every home I have
lived in since the kids were born.
They love it now, and hopefully,
they will hang it with pride in their
home. It is a pop art rendering
done by a guy who worked in
advertising. He was auditioning for
a Lipton Tea ad. It was his sort of
take on whatever the copy was. It’s
a little bit like that pop art Andy
Warhol school, but not on that
level. It just makes me smile when I
look at it every day.
LIP: Flea Market Flips tapes in
Long Island City. How fun is that?
LS: It’s great. You can be there in
two seconds. You can come and see
us.
LIP: What are some of your quotes
that you often say on the show?
LS: I have a few mantras when I
am talking to new flea marketers.
One, getting there early definitely
pays off. Two, the adage early bird
gets the worm is really true when
you are a true flea marketer. Three,
if you see something and you love
it, snap it up because if you walk
away it will be gone when you come
back. Four, cash is king when it
comes to flea marketing. You will
have a lot more bargaining power
if you are paying in cash then with
any other method. Five, be nice to
the dealers. Remember they have
gotten up before the sun was up
and they are working really hard
unpacking their wares that they
have collected. Six, I cringe when
I hear contestants really low ball. I
think it’s nice to say, “What is your
best offer?” Please never offer less
than half. It is their job. They are
working really hard.
Read the full interview
at longislandpress.com
COVER STORY
One of Lara Spencer’s favorite
finds, a pop art rendering that
she picked up years ago from
a flea market. The painting has
been a treasure in her family for
years. (photo by Mae Astute).
ABC Good Morning America co-host, Lara Spencer broadcasting live
with her co-host Michael Strahan (photo by Mae Astute).
Lara Spencer grew up in Garden
City and now lives in Manhasset.
(photo by Mae Astute).